The UC Marketing Capstone Experience

Positioning

June 12, 2017

We're making progress learning from stakeholders outside the Braxton organization. I made good contacts with Cincy Brew Bus and Craft Connection (the 2 leading brewery tour operators in the area), as well as Night Shift Limousine, which also considers brewery tours a key component of their business. I scheduled a meeting for Natalie and I to meet & interview the owner of Cincy Brew Bus tomorrow, which we're excited about!

We have a meeting with Braxton on Tuesday at the taproom. Unfortunately, it is only our 2nd meeting with them, so we need to be pointed about what our needs are and how we will use what we ask for to deliver value to Braxton, as well as the fact that it will be very difficult to deliver for them without more engagement than we've had so far.

I also visited Braxton Labs, their experimental brewery that just opened about 2 weeks ago in the back of the Party Source in Newport, KY. I was able to chat with 3 of the customers about the local brewery scene in general, and the Braxton/Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip collaboration. They were excited to see the expansion, and very receptive to the "Labs" concept of testing new styles and recipes. The location in the Party Source was an advantage as well, with the variety/experimental concept a natural complement to the unrivaled variety offered by Party Source. Abundant parking was noted as an advantage compared to several other local breweries.

As far as Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip beer was concerned, 2 of the 3 people said they had been excited about it then let down that it "didn't live up to the hype". The 3rd person, who was not from the area, hadn't heard of it.

So, I'm excited for the week ahead, the insights it will bring, and driving alignment.

March 27, 2017

This week, Team Behr went searching for more insights. We interviewed paint store employees, homeowners who have hired painters, and the editor of a painting trade magazine, trying to discover if the people connected to professional painters could tell us anything about our target and whether anything distinguishes them from the rest of the pro segment.

One thing I've noticed about this project is how it has forced me to step outside my comfort zone when it comes to asking people for information. Walking into a paint store and explaining that you're a student who is working on a project and can you ask some questions about professional painters? That is definitely outside my comfort zone!

We also presented another draft of our survey to our contact, Lisa, who met with her colleagues and made final suggestions. Based on the questions they asked to add, it seems the team at Behr wants to know more about: a) why people become painters in the first place, and b) their use of digital tools to run their businesses. This is a more specific focus than we've previously discussed, and we know it's partly because of some research Behr recently obtained. We'll ask Lisa more questions at our next check-in to see what she's thinking.

Two meetings with Drew this week have helped us clarify the questions we're asking and given us a way forward. A recommendation for Behr is on its way! Now we just need to see if the survey we've designed confirms the hypotheses we've developed based on our interviews.

March 6, 2017

This week my group and I presented the Attribute Value Mapping exercise with the help of our marketing teacher Drew. We did this exercise with Laurence, our GE contact, and two employees, Nick and Mike. We divided every verticals and did the AVM with Nick. This was very helpful because Nick brought new insights and machines' parts to our research. After this meeting, Allison and I decided to take this Attribute Value Mapping and reorganise it a little bit to come up with a point of difference, our dynamic variable. We focused on the customisation and complexity of the parts made by the machines that the additive manufacturing industry offers for Aerospace and Defence.

Now, we can define better our Big Picture and work more efficiently on the modules that GE asked us to deliver. This week, Laurence also changed the date of the final presentation to mid-April, which leaves us less time to finish our project. Time is really gonna be our enemy now and we have to manage it well. After all the research that we've done since the beginning, we know that we are ready to make this project a success and finish on time for the presentation. Our next step is to meet with GE on March 24th to present our preliminary results. This will give us a good idea of what we still need to accomplish and how on track we are from GE's opinion.

As I said, adaptation is a skill that we must master to deliver the best project possible to our client.

July 11, 2016

Last week, I completed my qualitative interviews and had the opportunity to overlay the qualitative insights with competitive analysis insights. We've come up with a platform for which to complete the Big Picture and communications strategy. We've established how our client is currently positioning themselves and how we can alter it to reposition themselves with success. Now we've got the data for service penetration and the potential market, so our Big Picture is starting to come together. This should be a busy and fruitful week. Though we've come up with some basics for ads, I look forward to seeing what the Innovation class comes up with.

June 20, 2016

I think we're starting to really get some good direction with our plan. We're still in qualitative stages, which might yield more insights. We might be able to come up with two or three solid directions for our client to go, but one seems to be really taking shape. We all agree on it, too, as an important and effective direction for our client to take. I'm excited about how we can make our strategy stand out from competitors' and target at least two segments. I think one of our biggest obstacles will be how to choose the marketing channels for our advertisements. How will we present the ads, and how can they differ among mediums?

February 16, 2016

The question is whether to analyze compression users in general or separate them out between Veneus disease & Lymphodema disease patients to determine whether either of the two approach their purchasing habits differently - and if so - how?

Kailey and I had a briefing with Tom this past Thursday and he was very much interested in the qualitative portion of our plans. He had interesting insights with respect to the people who needed the compression therapy versus ones who just wanted it. The more they needed it, the more they were apt to be brand aware. This falls in line with the Lymphedema patients as so much is riding on their therapy and long term health. Veneus disease, however is more cosmetic in nature (in the beginning stages) and falls more in line with what Kailey and I were looking into because the "feel good" aspect is more prominent here (we're hyphothesizing). But if it holds true that this demographic is tougher to reach because they are less brand aware, the we'd be entering quadrant one in just introducing them to Juzo - a very expensive brand by nature already. That's a tough sell compared to a more "educated" group who may already know of Juzo's reputation (after much consideration of its competitors) so a sell of a new line would be less work (because the reputation has already been established. So with this group we're looking at Quadrant 3 - expansion. But now the "feel good" would have less resonance (I believe).

I think we're answering our own question here - seems as if three separate groups of Veneus, Lymphodema, and general users need to be established and determine how they view their need, find out how they feel about brands, research they've done, and more importantly (I think) what they hope to get out of it.

Casual wearers such as plane-riders, cooks, teachers, and such I think make up the bulk of opportunity as this group is the most "malleable" as to wearable technology. "Buy this and it'll make you feel good again" vs. one that requires convincing based on a condition - "my doctor prescribed this - I only need it to solve this problem - don't want bells and whistles i don't need." But again, this is an assumption. it could be a "my doctor prescribed this but with this extra feature that nobody else has, I could heal faster!"

The screened is being created with interviews estimated to happen early March.

Tom is also excited to find out more about its users for they haven't done research like this before - he also expressed willingness in assisting with the questions - a great opportunity for Juzo to find out anything they want from their customers through secondary research questions.

February 11, 2016

Questionnaire completed and sent for review.That is probably the only thing that went well this week.The week has not ended as yet but as I am going on a short trip from Friday, I had to complete a week's worth of work in just 2 days. And hence the title of this post.

Now that my survey questions are done and all I have to do is wait for the feedback from my client, I decided to gauge my focus elsewhere. I thought this would be a good time to start framing a Competitive Matrix for my client. But what I realized was before going any further in the project I must go through the Big Picture again. To be honest, now that I am working with a client and trying to reach specific goals of the client, the Big Picture Framework is making a lot more sense. When I studied it earlier in the Marketing Strategy class I understood the concepts; however the application in real life situations was obviously not that clear. But that is definitely changing. As I am going further in my Capstone the steps of the Big Picture are helping me to formulate a complete and compact strategy for my client. It is clear to me that without this sort of a framework it is really very difficult to develop an appropriate strategy.

Apart from this I have decided to take help from the Influence strategy, Innovation tools, Quanlitive research, Buyer Behaviour and Branding classes that I had taken previously. There are various portions of all these classes that I can use in different parts of my Capstone. So my next task would be to decide which specific portions of these subjects I would be using and to start revising those. I can safely say that Capstone is a true blend of theory and practical field work.

February 8, 2016

Loved reading the GBI (Global Business Intelligence) Research report furnished to us from Tom at Juzo - thank you! It outlines the compression therapy market to date and offers forecasting data into 2019. It truly put into context what we're dealing with and the players involved on a larger scale - exactly what we've been tasked to do. The tight marketplace and how one break-away idea could dramatically change the field was truly an eye opening discovery - I now see the "raison d'etre" of this endeavor - this could be big!

I met with Cheryl Ladd of Ladd Research Group (who also happens to be my qualitative research professor) and we inadvertently both educated each other on Juzo. She and I analyzed various elements of where to best focus our attention with respect to how we'd make the biggest impact. Retailers, Practitioners, Consumers - why should consumers choose this over a competitor; and at what cost. What made this discussion even more appropriate was that Cheryl was a compression-sock user herself - in the target group we're focusing on! Perfect! "Why should I pay for something that I don't think I need? What does my sock have anything to do with what perhaps my FitBit already does? Are you trying to convince me or the retailer pushing it on me?"

It almost turned into an interview which we'll conduct soon en masse in questioning her about HER purchasing behavior but maintained focus. Connecting the dots was the theme. Connecting the wearable tech with what people already pre-associating the garments to offer. Connecting our discussion with Drew and what positive "feelings" one can achieve - I think we can create magic here!

So the focus group target was established - created the screener - next up setting up the wheels of logistics to turn hypothesis into data; which I'm targeting to be richly filled by beginning of March. Super excited!

January 25, 2016

It came as a surprise to me that I would be working alone on the Capstone project. It made me quite scared. Honestly speaking I do not have any fear of not getting the work done individually or even lacking in creative ideas for the project. I am just scared of one thing and that is the fact that in moments of anxiousness and uncertainties I would be all alone. I would not have anyone by my side, being as nervous as I am before meetings or project reviews or giving me confidence about my approach towards the project. And with all these insecurities and a little prayer in my heart I start my Capstone.

My client is Advancement and Transition Services (ATS) for people with intellectual disabilities and this institute is housed within the School of Education in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. (CECH). http://cech.uc.edu/education/ats.html

ATS offers a wide array of courses (some degree and some non-degree) to people who face intellectual challenges in their lives and by this I mean individuals who suffer with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental diseases (DD).

All anxious and nervous I went for my first meeting with Dr.Carnahan, an Associate Professor there. She explained to me what kind of work they do and how they strive towards not only giving these students education but also the capability to live and survive alone in the community. She made it very clear that they do not really have a very good marketing plan and the little which they do have , she is not satisfied with. She said that what she really wants me to do is come up with a clear, crisp message for the families of such students which would define ATS and what they do and what they aspire to do for it’s students.

She then showed me some of the marketing materials that they have and asked me to review their first news letter ATSpectroscope and their tri-fold brochure. In the past week I reviewed both of these and sent her my suggestions. Right now I am in a position of contemplating how I will go about not only creating a message for them but also finding appropriate and ideal platforms for them to deliver that message and also do a competitive analysis for them.

The one and only thing I am a little stuck at is the fact that I am not dealing with a product here. I am dealing with a service that is intended for people who already face a lot of challenges and humiliation in their day to day life. The topic is extremely sensitive and has to be dealt with a lot of care.

However I will have an opportunity to go on a tour of their class room session and other activities done by the students on 11th Feb, 2016. I am really looking forward to that.

May 24, 2015

Our group was pretty nervous for our initial client meeting with Live Well and Children's so we got together the night before our meeting. This really helped us bring our research together and get on the same page as a team. After getting together as a team, some of our nerves had eased and we felt much more comfortable heading into our initial client meeting.

The next day we met with our client. We created a 1-pager for our client, which they really seemed to like. It included an introduction of our team, our Capstone process, a rough timeline, and the opportunities we found through our research. The opportunities we outlined fell right in line with what they were looking for which gave us a big boost of confidence. While there are other things we will be working on, it seems like they want us to really focus on the 4P's. It should be an interesting and exciting project.

Our next step is to draft a charter to deliver to our client this coming week so that it can be revised and agreed on. We also want to create a milestone timeline so we can keep on track throughout the term. Once that is settled, we will be ready to really get to work!